Sewer-structure invert and block.



J. H. ZINN. SWER STRUCTURE INVERT AND BLOCK.

APPLICATIGN FiLED AUG.25. l9|5.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- Patented Aug. 28, 1917.

l AHORA/EY.

I. H. ZINN.

SEWER STRUCTURE INVERT AND BLOCK.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.25. i915. 1,2394'75, Patented Aug'. 28, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

f I X JACOB I-I. ZINN, 0F INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

SEWER-STRUCTURE IN VERT AND BLOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented fing.

Application filed August 25, 1915. Serial No. 47,364.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, JACOB H. ZiNru, a citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Sewer-Structure Inverts and Blocks, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates to structural tiles or segment blocks that are composed of burned clay, more especially vitrified and glazed segments, adapted for use in constructing sewers, culverts, wells, cisterns, silos, or for roofing or iiooring, the invention havin@ reference more particularly t0 compound sewer inverts and to segment blocks that are adapted to be used in connection with the inverts or independently thereof as may be. desired.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved starter or invert for sewer structures that shall be especially irm when laid and not be liable to shift or tilt from a true course, and which shall be suitable for use in building sewers of either circular or oval form in cross-sectioii.

Another object is to provide a tile or block that shall be capable of being locked to the improved invert of simple construction so as to be suitable for use by unskilled workmen.

A. further object is to provide a combination of tiles or blocks that shall be capable of being used either with the improved invert for very strong sewers or in combination one with another independently of the invert for vertical walls, such as silo walls.

A still further object is to provide tiles or blocks that may be expeditiously and chea ly manufactured by means of dies in well-{nown types of clay-working machinery, and vitrified and also glazed if desired, which tiles or blocks shall be strong and relatively light in weight and shall be capable of being thoroughly locked together by ine-ans of cement mortar customarily made use of in the joints between blocks.

With the above-mentioned and other objects in view, the invention consists in a novel compound invert and a series of wall segments constructed for being locked together and also to the invert; the invention consisting further in the novel parts, and

combinations and arrangements of parts. as hereinafter particularly described and .further defined in the appended claims.

Referring to the diawings,-Figure l is a fragmentary transverse section of a sewer structure of the stronger type in which a series of segments of various shapes and sizes are combined; Fig. 2 is a fragmentarv top plan of Fig. l; Fig. 3 is an end view of a double tile or block of improved construction to constitute a part of the compound invertand also form the lining of the sewer, the block being' adapted to be split to form two segment blocks for use; Fig. el is a plan of one of the two blocks inverted relatively to its position in use; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the compound invert as preferably constructed; Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the series of wall tiles or blocks; Fig. 7 is a perspective view of two of the series of segment tiles or blocks arranged together as when in use; Fig. 8 is an end view of a double block adapted to be split to form two similar ones of the series of segment blocks; Fig. 9 is a fragmentary transverse section of a sewer structure showing more particularly the compound invert on a larger scale than that of Fig. l; and, Fig. 10 is an end view of a double tile or block adapted to be split to form two segment blocks of the series.

On the various figures of the drawings, similar reference characters indicate corresponding elements or features of construction herein described.

The improved invert comprises base blocks of substantial proportions, each block comprising a bottoni slab l, two upwardly convergent side walls 2 and 3 on the two opposite edge portions respectively of the slab, a top slab a above the bottom slab and connected at its edges to the upper portions of the side walls, and a suitable number of partitions 5, 6, 7, spaced apart and extending from the bottoni slab to the top slab. The blocks have squared ends so as to be used end to end in alinement one with another. The top slab l has a continuous longitudinal keyway 8 in its top portion that has under-eut side walls 9 and l0, the keyway being midway between the planes of the side walls. The top slab has also a recess 11 between the keyway and one side wall and another recess 12 between the keyway and the other side wall, both recesses extending parallel with the keyway and from end to end of the top slab. rIhe walls 13 and 14 of the respective recesses that are the nearer to the lieyway are inclined so as to extend upward on convergent planes, thus facing outwardly each from the other. and upwardly. The bottoms of the keyway and the recesses are flat and on one and the same plane. rlhe recesses have inclined outer wall portions 15 and 16 respectively that are only slightly inclined and face upwardly and inwardly toward a common median plane, the higher portions being joined to the side walls 2 and 3 respectively below the plane of the top of the walls which extend upward beyond the plane of the top of the top slab 4f. so as to form ridges 17 and 18 respectively having steeply inclined inner sides 19 and 20 respectively that face inwardly and upwardly, so that the tops of the ridges are the narrower portions thereof, the ridges being adapted to constitute guides and keys for connecting segments to the base block. The outer side of the inclined wall 2 has a suitable number of lceyways 21 and 21 therein, the wall 3 having similar lzeyways 22 and 22, all the keyways preferably being undercut and extending longitudinally from end to end of the wall, being adapted to receive and hold cement mortar. Preferably the tops of the ridges 17 and 18 have longitudinal keyways or grooves 23 and 24 therein respectively to receive cement mor tar, the keyways preferably being undercut. Each base block may conveniently be two feet in length and approximately eighteen inches in width at the bottom so as to afford a firm foundation for the wall segments.

The improved invert includes also top or inner sections or parts that coperate with the base blocks, each section being preferably` one-half the length of the base block and less in width than the top of the base block. Each section comprises a body portion A25 or 25 having each a concavely curved face 2G on its normal outer or exposed side, the curved face preferably being glazed, especially when intended for use in a sanitary sewer. In some cases the section has a flat back face 27, in other cases a convexly curved back face 28, the latter being preferable when desired to make the top parts or sections of the invert and also the lining segments of the wall by means of one and the same die. The back portion of each section or segment has a longitudinal key-rib 29 extending longitudinally on its medial portion, the rib having undercut sides 30 and 31, the rib being continuous from end to end of the section or segment. The back or convex portion has also two wings or ridges 32 and 33 on Vopposite edge portions respectively of the section or segment, the faces of the ridges` being on one and the same plane with the key-rib 29. The key-rib is de- Vsigned to fit loosely into the keyway 8 so as to be secured therein by cement mortar, the ridges being designed so as to lit into the recesses 11 and 12 of the base block, the inner sides 34 and 35 of the ribs respectively being inclined so as to conform to the inclination of the sides 13 and 141 of the recesses. Vhen one section extends partially onto two of the base blocks the latter are'securely locked together in alinement by the top section. The section or segment has radially inclined sides 36 and 37 in which are keyways or grooves 38 and 39 respectively to receive cement mortar whereby to lock each twoadjacent segments together. Each wing or ridge 32 or 33 is designed so that its front face shall lit approximately to the inclined outer wall portion 15 or 16 of the base block recess when the segments are connected to the base block, as in Fig. 1, the inclined faces 341 and corresponding to the inclined sides 19 or 20 of the ridges on the side portions of the base block. Two of the sections or segments may suitably be formed together as a double block shown in Fig. 3 and divided on the line X X so as to permit them to be split apart after having been burned. Each section or segment preferably is hollow and the segments in some cases are used as a sewer lining and suitably backed by other segment blocks, in some cases one course of the backing being required, in other cases two or more courses being necessary.

In order to provide superior backing for the segments 25 I provide suitable segments 410, 40', identically alike, each segment being one-half the width of the lining segment and curved on the two opposite sides thereof to conform to the curvature of the arc outside of the lining segment, the concave side of the segment 40 having wings 41 and Zl2 on opposite edges thereof between which to receive either the key-rib 29 or the wings 32 and 33 of two adjacent lining segments, the sides of the segments having leyways or grooves 43 and lll therein respectively to receive the cement mortar in which the segments are laid in the structure. The inner sides of the wings have longitudinal grooves 45 and 16 respectively to receive the mortar whereby the segments are locked to the key-ribs of the lining segments. The ends or fronts of the wings are flat and therefore two segments may be formed together by a die and cut on a median plane as on the line Y Y in Fig. 8, the segments being split apart after having been burned or when required for use.

In some cases it is desirable to build a strong wall about the segments 40 to produce an extremely strong and substantial structure, or it may be desired to construct a relatively thinner and cheaper wall, and therefore a relatively broader segment 40 is provided which is in all respects similar to the segments 40 or 40 excepting that it is made suitably broader and at one and the same time with a reversely patterned segment 47 or 47 and divided therefrom on a median plane Z Z, as in Fig. 10, the segment 47 being curved and having wings 48 and 49 on opposite edges respectively of the convex side thereof, the design being such that one wing of each two adjacent segments 47 are received between the wings 41 and 42 of the companion segment 40". The radial sides of the segment have keyways 50 and 5l therein respectively and the inner sides of the wings have longitudinal grooves 52 and 53 therein respectively to receive the mortar for locking the wings of the adjacent segments together.

In practical use the compound invert is laid in the proper position so that the different parts thereofl are locked together to form a practically continuous foundation, after which the segments are connected therewith7 as many courses as desired being used, in some cases the structure being built as illustrated in Fig. l, in other cases similar to the arrangement illustrated in Fig. 9, or one course or two courses alone may in some cases be used. The tiles or blocks may also be used in various ways, as will readily occur to the constructor, for the various purposes for which they may be required.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new isl. A sewer invert comprising a normally horizontal fiat bottom slab, two inclined sides on the two opposite edges respectively of the slab, the said sides extending upwardly convergently each to the other, a generally fiat top slab connected to said sides below the tops thereof, the upper portions of said sides constituting ridges respectively, said top slab having two longitudinal recesses and also a keyway in the normal upper portion thereof, said recesses being adjacent to said ridges respectively, the face of the portion of the bottom of each recess next adjacent to the ridge being inclined and facing upwardly and toward a plane intermediate the ridges, and a partition wall upon said bottom slab extending to said top slab.

2. A, compound invert comprising two dissimilar parts, one being a base part comprising a normally horizontal fiat bottom slab, two inclined sides on the two opposite edges respectively of the slab, said sides eX- tending upwardly convergently each to the other, a generally flat top slab connected to said sides below the top thereof, the upper portions of said sides constituting ridges respectively, the upper portion of said top slab having two longitudinal recesses and also a keyway between the recesses, said recesses being adjacent to said ridges respectively; the remaining one of the two invert parts being a top part that is relatively narrower than said base part and normally arranged upon the base part, said top part comprising a body portion having two wings extending downwardly from its under side into said recesses respectively but not to the ridges of said base part, there being a space between each ridge and the adjacent portion of said top part and wing, the upper side of said top part being concave, and a key rib on the under side of said top part extending into said lreyway.

In testimony whereof, I afliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JACOB H. ZINN.

Witnesses:

E. T. SiLvIUs, M. E. SrARRow.

opies oi this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

